


Redemption

by JWade



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Tear Rating: 3/10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-17 02:04:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12355188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JWade/pseuds/JWade
Summary: When Gabriel pops back up in the Winchesters' lives after Lucifer's Nephilim is concieved, he ends up getting embroiled in the whole men of letters mess too.





	1. Chapter 1

Cas stumbled, holding his head, and Dean rushed over to him. Before they could get an explanation from the pained seraph, they had another visitor. “Anyone care to explain to me how Luci got out of his box again?” 

“Gabriel!” Sam exclaimed. “You’re alive!”

“Yeah, no thanks to you guys,” Gabriel replied bitterly, and Sam blanched. He hadn’t expected Gabriel to throw it in their faces so harshly. 

“Thanks for the assist with the darkness, you dick,” Dean snapped. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. When did it become MY job to clean up YOUR messes?” Gabriel asked mockingly. “And thank YOU for the assist when Metatron had me locked up and torturing me.”

“Wait, what?” Sam asked, his head snapping around to look at Gabriel instead of glaring at Dean. He completely agreed with Gabriel about it not being his job to clean up their messes. If he had known that Gabriel was alive he would have asked for help, but to expect him to just jump in and do it without being asked was over the line. 

“Oh, you know. I heroically died for you morons, then was resurrected by a jumped up seraph on a power trip who proceeded to torture me for months, got a message to Cassie, and then nothing. No crazy rescue attempts, no quick prayer to let me know you were coming, not even a prayer since. Nothing. And you think I should be throwing myself on your sacrificial altar again? Kiss my ass Winchester.”

“We didn’t know,” Sam said quietly shocked as he looked to Cas for an explanation, and Cas was white as a sheet. 

“I…I’m so sorry, brother. I thought…I thought it was just one of Metatron’s tricks. I didn’t think…” Gabriel gave a little noise of frustration as he ran a hand roughly through his hair. “How did you get away?” 

“Once Metatron lost his power, his traps failed and I made a break for it,” Gabriel said shortly, before turning back to Sam and Dean. It had been so easy to be bitter when they had just abandoned him, but now… “I suppose since you didn’t know I could bring myself to forgive you for it. But the fact is, I didn’t know about dear old auntie either.”

“How the hell could you not know?” Dean asked incredulously. 

“After I got out of my little torture chamber, I decided I was overdue for a vacation,” Gabriel said with a shrug, daring anyone to dispute that fact. 

“So, what? You’re sitting on a beach sipping mai tai’s while Amara is wreaking havoc on the world and you’re saying you didn’t know?” 

“Not like I was vacationing on this world, moron,” Gabriel snapped. “No, I got as far away from here as I could. Found a little untouched paradise clear on the other side of the universe. Before I was knocked flat by the celestial surge of a budding Nephilim, anyway. And an archangel’s Nephilim at that! Since I know that I haven’t done anything so stupid and Raphael is dead, that leaves Mikey and Luci, and Mikey would never break such a big rule. So again, anyone care to explain to me how Luci got out of his cage…again?!”

Sam had been completely silent since he’d told Gabriel that they didn’t know about Metatron. He had been completely unable to form words even. He mustered himself at Gabriel’s reiterated question though enough to say, “It’s my fault…I…”

Cas cut him off though. He wasn’t about to let Sam take the blame. “No, I was the one who let him out.”

“But you wouldn’t have had the chance if I hadn’t gotten Rowena to do the spell to let me talk to him,” Sam pointed out. 

“But when he asked you, you said no. I was the one who said yes,” Cas countered. 

“Okay so it seems like you both share some of the blame, along with this Rowena chick,” Gabriel interrupted before he lost his patience with the argument. “Now big question…who is Rowena and how did she access the cage. It should have been impossible once the rings were destroyed…you did destroy the rings right?” 

“Yeah. We did. Well, all except Death’s. He wanted his back,” Sam told him and Gabriel just nodded as if he knew. “Rowena is a witch and found a spell in the book of the damned…”

“The WHAT?!” Gabriel yelled. “You actually let a witch who deals in that kind of magic live? Not to mention has access to the book that could destroy all of existence?” He tried not to be extra bitter about that, given how many times they had tried to kill him in the past, but honestly. Apparently the friendly neighborhood trickster isn’t useful enough to get a pass but an evil witch with the most powerful evil book in existence is a-okay. 

“She’s not that bad, really. She’s been very useful…”

“Do you have any idea what kind of magic is in that book?! My father himself tried to destroy it and failed. That’s how seriously bad that book is,” Gabriel snapped before he realized they were getting off track. “Whatever. I’ll take care of it myself,” he muttered. “And it looks like I’m back in the hot seat with Luci too. I should have known I wouldn’t get to enjoy my second life for very long. Thanks a lot.”

“You…you think you’re gonna die again?” Sam choked out. 

“Of course, I’m gonna die again, you imbecile. The only question is whether I’ll be able to take one or both of the unholy bastards down with me,” Gabriel said heatedly. “Once that child is born, it will be stronger than all of us, and able to sense me anywhere in the universe. Lucifer will never allow the only being that is still a threat to him to live, so I can either try and take care of it before the abomination is born, or die trying to run away.”

“I…I’m sorry, Gabriel…” Sam said swallowing around the lump in his throat. He couldn’t believe that he was going to get Gabriel killed again. He really was poison. Even when no one knew how he felt, he still got the people he loved killed. This time, though…this time would be different. He would be by Gabriel’s side the whole way. He wasn’t going to just walk away again, and if he died too, so be it. “Let us help.”

“What kind of help do you think you can give?” he scoffed. 

“We can distract Lucifer while you go for the kid,” Sam offered. He hated the fact that an innocent baby had to die, but if it would be that much of a threat to Gabriel, it had to be done. “Then the four of us can take on Lucifer together. At least then you’ll have a chance.”

Gabriel seemed to consider that for a few minutes. His own survival instincts were warring with his desire to keep Sam safe and as far from Lucifer and his spawn as possible. In the end, all he could say was, “I’ll think about it.” Sam had made it perfectly clear how he felt about him when he walked away and let him die, but just because he could never have Sam didn’t mean he wanted the hunter anywhere near that kind of danger. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I apparently have things to do,” Gabriel said as he disappeared. 

“I will see if I can locate Lucifer’s new vessel,” Cas said rushing out the door as much to try and outrun the oppressing guilt in the room as to actually do what he said. 

Dean took a good long look at Sam. Contrary to popular belief he wasn’t nearly as clueless about feelings as people thought. Especially not his brother’s feelings. He knew exactly how Sam felt about the archdouche and having him suddenly pop up like this and take on near certain death because of something he did for a second time had to be messing his brother up big time. “You good, Sammy?”

“Yeah. I’m fine, Dean,” Sam said quickly. Too quickly, and Dean’s eyes narrowed as if to tell him that he didn’t believe him for a second. “I’m going out for a run,” Sam said before heading for the door. 

“Dude, it’s nighttime,” Dean pointed out. 

“What, so I’m supposed to be scared of the dark now?” Sam snapped irritably. 

“No. I’m just saying, at least take a gun and an angel blade with you,” Dean told him, seeing that it would be pointless to tell him not to go. 

“Fine,” Sam said, tucking his gun in the back of his pants and the angel blade inside his jacket. “Happy now, Dad?” 

Dean didn’t take offense to Sam’s attitude. He knew better than most what Sam was like when he was upset and trying to hide it, so he just nodded and ignored the bitchface he got as Sam stormed out.

Over the next few weeks, Gabriel popped by a couple times a week to update them, and get an update in return. It was this first visit back that he informed them that Rowena was taken care of and the book was as well-hidden as he could make it. By the time he had managed to track down Lucifer and the kid, he had decided to let the Winchesters and Cas help. It really was their fault in the first place and as much as he wanted to protect Sam, he couldn’t protect him from his own mistakes forever. And if it meant he had a chance to survive, then great. 

The plan worked perfectly, as Sam, Dean, and Cas kept Lucifer distracted. If any of them had been missing it might not have worked because Lucifer would have been wondering what the other was up to, but he still didn’t realize that Gabriel was alive yet, which gave him the freedom to sneak in and take out the Nephilim. He hated having to take out the human that was carrying him too, but it was far too important to keep that child from being born. A Nephilim born from a seraph had nearly destroyed the universe and rivaled their father in power. There was no telling how dangerous the child of an archangel could be. At least he could rest easy knowing that her soul was safe in heaven. It wasn’t like he killed someone who was on the way to hell but could have been redeemed. That would have been a travesty. 

When he joined the others against Lucifer, the rebellious archangel had already felt the death of his son, and his rage and grief made him make stupid mistakes that allowed Gabriel to get the killing blow much easier than he had expected. Again, killing another human to get him was a hard blow, especially since it was the president of the US, but that was life. He too was in heaven now, and one life to stop Lucifer, and one more to stop his child was more than a good trade, as hard as it was to reconcile with his conscience. He was nice enough to fly Sam and Dean out of there before they got caught by the secret service that would swarm the place as soon as Gabriel’s blocks fell. The assassination of the president would probably become a huge scandal, but Gabriel didn’t care so much about that. He thrived on chaos after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically a prologue telling how Gabriel came back into their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

After a few weeks, part of Sam was wishing that Gabriel would just disappear again. Being so close to him and yet so far was killing him. But a larger part of him just wanted him around, period. Being pulled in two directions was making him more than a little cranky though so when his mom wanted to meet with him, he jumped at the chance to get out for a little while, knowing that the men of letters stronghold would be warded against anything and everything. Including angels. Whether they had angel wards strong enough to work against an archangel, who knew, but hopefully Gabriel would know better than to appear there anyway. While the men of letters didn’t seem to be completely against angels, they didn’t seem to be much for them either. He was sure that personal opinions varied widely on the subject though. Assuming they were even allowed to have personal opinions. 

When Dean got back and found Sam gone with a note, he just shrugged and went to get another drink. When he found that he was out of booze, however, he didn’t shrug that off as easily. Just as he was about to get pissed, he heard a knock at the door and headed up, figuring that Sam had just forgotten his key. When he saw who was there, however, he nearly punched him…until he revealed his gift. He would put up with the guy for a little while if it got him the booze. 

As much as Dean wanted to deny Ketch’s words about him being a killer, he couldn’t really. Not if he was being honest with himself, and when Ketch offered to let him tag along to kill some vamps, he had to take him up on it. He was going stir crazy just sitting here. It ended up going all wrong though. They had split up to search what turned out to be an empty building, but when the Brit hadn’t come back to meet him in the main room, he went looking for him. Apparently, the building hadn’t always been empty, since Ketch was lying on the floor, in a pool of blood. He looked to have a pretty bad head wound, but he was alive. Dean took off his over shirt to put some pressure on it as he tried to stop the bleeding before moving him. Hopefully he would be awake by then though. Dean didn’t relish the idea of carrying the guy out of here. 

He was in luck…sort of. Ketch woke up after a few minutes and looked around confusedly. “Where am I?”

“You don’t remember?” Dean asked concerned. 

“No. I…I don’t,” Ketch said hesitantly. 

“Well what’s the last thing you remember and I’ll fill in the blanks as much as I can,” Dean offered, having been on both sides of this situation more than once. 

“I…I don’t remember,” Ketch said furrowing his brow in confusion. 

“What, like, anything?” Dean asked, groaning when Ketch nodded nervously. 

“Okay, cliffs notes. Your name is Arthur Ketch, and you’re a man of letters. We came here to flush out some vampires, but apparently one found you first. Now we need to get out of here and deal with all this later. Hopefully your memory will come back soon,” Dean told him helping him to his feet and out to the impala. They would have to come back for his bike later. 

“Vampires,” Ketch said as though the word held some familiarity for him. Dean decided to just stay quiet and let him work it out. Maybe he would be more likely to get his memory back if he had to search for the answers rather than having them handed to him. It wasn’t like he knew the guy well enough to fill in any more blanks than he already had. Short of giving him the monsters are real talk, he was at a loss. His current plan was to get him back to the bunker and call Mick to come get his guy. 

When Mick didn’t answer his phone, Dean got frustrated. The one time he actually wanted to talk to the douche he couldn’t be bothered. He tried calling Sam instead, to at least get some help watching the amnesiac until Mick could get him. In the ten minutes they’d been here, he’d stopped him from pushing buttons on the old machines five times, pried about eight artifacts out of his hands, and retrieved a sword before he poked someone’s eye out, and he was already frustrated. Sam was much better at this stuff than he was. Sam wasn’t answering his phone either though and Dean went from frustrated to worried. Sam would never ignore his phone unless he was in trouble. He knew better. 

Dean managed to get Ketch to sit down and be still as he grabbed his computer to track Sam’s phone and found him in what was supposed to be a large empty lot, and his concern grew. Just as he was about to grab his keys and head out, his phone rang and he snatched it up. “Sammy?”

“Hey Dean. Sorry I missed your call. Was in a bit of a situation,” Sam told him. 

“What kind of situation? What happened? Are you okay?” Dean asked worriedly. 

“I’m fine. I…well…I came to see Mom. She’s kinda staying with the men of letters, and while we were here a whole group of vamps attacked.”

“But you’re okay? And…and mom?” 

“We’re both fine, Dean. The men of letters lost quite a few people, but Mom and I are good. We did kill the alpha vamp though,” Sam dropped the bombshell. 

“What the hell?” Dean asked shocked. 

“Yeah. Apparently, the men of letters have taken out almost two hundred and fifty vamps in the last few months and the alpha wasn’t too happy. He led the raid on this place himself. The men of letters somehow got their hands on the colt and it turns out it works on alphas too.”

“Nice. You still at their place?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah. Was about to head home. Why?”

“Mick near you?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Put him on.”

“Ooookay,” Sam said confused but waved Mick over and handed him the phone. 

“This is Mick.”

“You need to follow Sam back and come get your guy,” Dean told him. 

“Come get…who?” Mick asked curiously. 

“Ketch. We went after the vamps that apparently went after you, but apparently they left a lookout or something. He got hurt pretty bad. I brought him back to the bunker, but he could probably use some medical attention.”

“I’ll be right there,” Mick said quickly handing Sam his phone back and motioning him to hurry up. 

Mick was right behind Sam as they went into the bunker and followed him towards the main meeting room and he looked towards the other Brit sitting there. “Ketch. Are you alright?” Ketch didn’t respond for a moment. “Ketch?” 

“Oh. That’s me, is it?” he finally looked up. “Hello. Do I know you?” 

“I…what…how…”

“He got clocked on the head pretty good, was unconscious for a while and there was a lot of blood. When he woke up he couldn’t remember anything,” Dean told him. 

“I…see,” Mick said with a frown as he went over and started checking him over. 

“He could probably use a doctor, but I figure you guys have one of those on hand or something and I wasn’t sure how low of a profile you were trying to keep so I figured taking him to a hospital wasn’t the best idea,” Dean explained. 

“I’m trained as a medic,” Mick told him as he checked Ketch’s vitals and started shining a light in his eyes before saying, “He seems to have a slight concussion, but other than the memory loss and a bit of blood loss he’s fine. He just needs a good meal and some rest, but no sleep for at least a few more hours.”

“Why are you saying that like he’s going to be staying here?” Sam asked carefully. 

“I’m gonna have to ask you to keep him here until his memory returns. I will return as much as I am able to attempt to jog his memory, but I can’t take him back like this,” Mick said apologetically. 

“Why the hell not?” Dean asked heatedly. 

“Because he is a hunter. The lead hunter of the organization, but still a hunter. As far as the men of letters are concerned, hunters are little more than attack dogs. What do you do when a dog goes lame?” 

“So…wait…you’re saying they would…” Sam trailed off, not even sure if he could finish that sentence. 

“They would put him down,” Mick finished. 

“That’s…sick,” Dean said distastefully. 

“It’s the code,” Mick said emotionlessly. He had never doubted that course of action before, but this was Ketch. He and Ketch had been friends most of their lives. They looked out for each other always. Hell, if Ketch had anything resembling feelings they might even have been more than friends. He wasn’t about to let Ketch be put down if he could help it. 

“There might be another way,” Dean said with an apologetic look to Sam. Sam shook his head, but Dean gave him a hard look until Sam just slumped in his seat and nodded, closing his eyes. Dean felt bad for making Sam call Gabriel here. He knew how conflicted the archangel’s presence made him, but if it was that or get stuck taking care of an amnesiac British hunter, well…it was no contest.


	3. Chapter 3

“Gabriel, we could use some help with something when you have a moment,” Sam said, and Mick looked at him curiously, but before he could ask a question, there was another person in the room. 

“Sup kiddies?” Gabriel quipped from where he was leaning casually against the wall with a lollipop in his mouth. 

“Gabriel…the archangel,” Mick said in awe. 

“Michael Davies,” Gabriel greeted with a smirk. “Oh I know you well.”

“You…um…you do?” Mick asked nervously. 

“Oh yes. Graduated top of your class at Kendrick’s Academy, killed your best friend, Timothy, in cold blood to get there, live by a code that is more despicable than Lucifer’s himself. Yes, I know you well.”

“Well…I…but…” Mick stammered. Being told by an archangel that he was wrong about everything certainly threw him off his game. 

“You boys really shouldn’t be mixing with their organization. They’d kill you without a second thought. You should ask your buddy here for a copy of their ‘code’. It makes enlightening, if sickening, reading. Though I do have to say, of the entire organization, he is one of the very few even capable of redemption. There’s still a spark of light in your soul, Mick Davies. What you choose to do with it is up to you,” Gabriel said directing the last part back at the Brit. He saw an opportunity here, and if playing it straight would help him get another soul away from hell, then that’s what he would do. Even if it annoyed him to be so serious. 

“I…um…how do I…” Mick trailed off, not really sure how to word his question. 

“Sticking with these two would be a good start. They have made a bit of a habit of doing the impossible. They even won over my father himself,” Gabriel told him. 

“You’ve met God? Like, actually, in person, met him?” Mick asked Sam and Dean in surprise. 

“Sure, we did. He even bunked with us here for a while,” Sam said with a shrug as if it was no big deal.

“Yeah, and stole my robe while he was at it,” Dean muttered. “The whole sun dying thing, was him dying. We helped save him and he rode off into the sunset with his sister.”

“His…sister?” Mick was completely floored now. 

“Sure. She’s the one that hurt him so bad, but I managed to get her to make nice and heal him,” Dean told him. He could get on board with Gabriel’s idea and if the men of letters were as bad as he said, then having an inside man couldn’t hurt. 

Seeing that Mick was beyond words at the moment, Sam turned back to the issue at hand. “Well, the reason I called you is because Ketch here got hurt and lost his memory, and apparently the men of letters will kill him if they find out, so we were wondering if you could heal him,” he said gesturing to the guy who had been sitting there silently just taking everything in. 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him and looked him over for a moment before he said, “I COULD heal him, yes. But I won’t.”

“Gabriel…” Dean said wearily. 

“I’m not in the habit of setting souls back on the path to hell,” Gabriel snapped. “This one here never had a choice. He was bred by the men of letters themselves as an experiment. He’s been brainwashed since the womb. All that is gone now. He has a chance to make his own choice and I refuse to take that away from him.”

“Wait…he was…you’re serious?” Sam asked disgustedly. “Did you know this?” he asked Mick, wondering if that had something to do with how quickly he would be disposed of. 

“I didn’t. I don’t think he did either,” Mick said looking nearly as disturbed as the hunters at the implication. 

“Ok, then what do we do?” Sam asked. 

“I could bring his memory back without the brainwashing, but it will have to be done a little at a time. It’s very delicate work,” Gabriel offered. It would involve being around a lot more, but he couldn’t say that the idea didn’t appeal to him to some degree. 

“Yeah, okay,” Sam sighed in defeat.

“Great! I’ll just go pick a room, shall I? And we can set Artie here up next to me,” Gabriel said cheerfully. 

Mick looked gratefully at the archangel before turning back to the hunters. “I should get back. There is a lot of cleanup to be done after the incident from earlier. I will return tomorrow?” 

“If you must,” Dean waved him off and Mick nodded and took his leave. Once they were alone, Dean turned to Sam. “You gonna be okay, Sammy?” 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked suspiciously.

“I mean with the pixie being here all the time,” Dean clarified. 

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sam asked trying to play it off, but Dean could see right through him. 

“We both know the answer to that, Sam,” Dean said knowingly. 

“I’m fine,” Sam ground out around gritted teeth. He hadn’t realized that Dean knew. “I’m just gonna go for a run.”

“Okay,” Dean just nodded, knowing that was how Sam cleared his head. Dean took a moment to consider what to do about this situation. Mainly, whether talking to Gabriel about it would make it better or worse…and whether Sam would ever forgive him if he did. In the end he decided it was too risky. He would watch though, and if it seemed like Gabriel might have the same feelings for Sam, he would take the bull by the horns. It wouldn’t be easy though. Gabriel was a difficult person to read in general, and if he was trying to hide something, getting a hint of it would be nearly impossible. 

 

Once Gabriel picked out rooms for himself and Ketch, he started talking to the rather shell-shocked man. “Okay, so before I start this, I need you to understand that everything you have done, you were forced to do. You never had a choice about any of it,” Gabriel told him, knowing what kind of memories Ketch would be getting back and how horrifying they would be without the brainwashing in place to make him not care. 

“Okay,” Ketch said, now rather nervous and Gabriel reconsidered his choice here. 

Maybe it would be better to just let him go on and create new memories, and let the past lie. The down side would be that without remorse, his soul would be far more difficult to heal, but the memories he held might just break him, and then what chance would he have. He decided to give him what no one ever had before. A choice. “We don’t have to do this, you know? You obviously still remember the important stuff. How to speak, how to walk, how to function. We can just leave the past the past and let you go forward from here if you would rather.”

“No. I…I think I need to know. I need to remember,” Ketch told him hesitantly. 

“You’re sure? You can take a few days to think about it if you want,” Gabriel told him. 

“I…yes…okay. I will think about it,” Ketch said. 

“Okay great. Let me just heal you from the physical injuries, and then I’ll snap you up some dinner and you should get some sleep,” Gabriel told him. 

“Is it…Was I…really bad?” Ketch couldn’t help but ask even as a plate of food appeared directly in front of him. 

“YOU were not. Your puppet masters were though. There were a lot of things they used you to do that were very bad,” Gabriel pointed out, sure to make the distinction that would be very important for him to understand if he was going to get his memories back. 

“But I was still the one to do them, and that’s what I would remember,” Ketch figured. 

“Yes.” What else could Gabriel say to that, that he hadn’t already said. Ketch nodded and lapsed into silence as he ate. 

When it was clear no other conversation was forthcoming, Gabriel left him to his thoughts and went looking for the hunters. He found Dean in the kitchen, working on making his own dinner and Gabriel just snapped his fingers finishing the food and putting it on the table before plopping down to eat himself and cocking an eyebrow at Dean in question. “Thanks?” Dean half-asked not sure what Gabriel was waiting for. 

Apparently, that was it, because the archangel nodded before he asked, “Where’s Samsquatch?”

“He went out for a run. He should be back before long,” Dean told him and Gabriel just shrugged and snapped his fingers. “What did you do?” Dean asked suspiciously when he couldn’t see anything that happened. Hopefully he hadn’t done anything to Sam. 

“Just keeping his plate warm,” Gabriel replied lazily, not at all bothered by the lack of trust. He’d considered just bringing Sam back to eat, but decided that as a hunter, he needed all the physical fitness he could get. He could always just eat when he got back.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean and Gabriel were almost done eating by the time Sam got back and the younger hunter stopped short in the doorway when he saw them sitting there talking and laughing like old friends. Gabriel grinned at him when he saw him there. “Come on Sammykins. I kept your food warm for you,” he offered gesturing to the table. Sam only hesitated a moment before he sat and started to eat. It didn’t take long for Gabriel to pull him into the conversation and by the time Sam and Dean headed to bed a few hours later, it was like Gabriel had always been there. Even Sam managed to relax around him, even if the ache was still there. Usually when he stopped by before, he’d pop in, play a few pranks, snark a little and be gone. He’d never actually sat and hung out with them before. 

Mick showed up at an ungodly hour the next morning, and only Gabriel was awake to get the door. “You realize everyone is still sleeping, right?” he asked amusedly as he stepped aside to let Mick in. 

“I did not realize that, no,” Mick said shifting uncomfortably. He was always up and at work early, and Ketch rarely slept much at all before. Six am was a normal time for him, and the fact that Ketch wasn’t up yet said a lot for just how much of his life was due to his programming. That or this was because of his injury. “Ketch is…well though?” he asked worriedly. 

“He’s fine. I healed all his physical injuries. I would imagine he is still pretty beat after everything though,” Gabriel told him. “You want some breakfast?” he asked genially. He could tell that Ketch would be waking up pretty soon anyway, though Sam and Dean would probably be a few more hours. 

Mick just nodded. He didn’t usually make a habit of eating a large breakfast, but once in a while was fine and who was he to turn down an archangel’s hospitality anyway. “Have you brought back any of his memory yet?” he asked before stopping short in the doorway as he saw a full English breakfast laid out on the table. 

“Not yet. He hasn’t decided if he wants it back yet,” Gabriel told him. 

“That’s understandable. He does need to know, at least some of it though,” Mick told him as he dug into his breakfast. “I can try and make it look like he died, but if anyone from the organization spots him…”

“If he chooses not to have them returned, you will just have to brief him on who to avoid and how,” Gabriel told him, making it clear that needed or not, it would be his choice. 

“Fair enough. And it will likely be easier here than it would be in Britain,” Mick reasoned, glad that someone was finally giving his friend a choice in something, but hoping that Ketch would choose to get his memories back. He had to admit that it was a rather selfish hope though. He just didn’t want to have to start over in his friendship. He wanted Ketch to remember him. “Did…did you mean what you said yesterday…about me being on the way to hell, but still able to redeem myself? And all that about how bad the code is?” 

“Yes. I did,” Gabriel told him. “Look, killing monsters is one thing, but the way your people kill innocent bystanders to cover things up is evil. Not to mention killing your own people, killing those who kill one of you accidentally, the way you think of people as disposable if it suits your purposes…you can’t honestly think that’s not evil?” 

“I…I don’t…that’s all I’ve ever known,” Mick finally admitted unable to look the archangel in the eye. 

“I know,” Gabriel told him. “And you do see how evil it is, somewhere deep down. That’s where your spark of light lies. You just have to nourish it.”

“I will,” Mick said earnestly. How, he had no idea yet, but he would. Somehow. Getting himself killed before he managed would do him no good though so he would have to tread carefully. 

“You know, your take on monsters is all wrong too, by the way,” Gabriel told him, wanting to get that out in the open too, even though it would be a harder sell. 

“What do you mean?”

“Monsters exist for a reason. What your people are doing is nothing short of genocide. The American hunters have the right idea. Keeping the balance. That’s the right way to do it. Yeah, they could use a little more organization, better knowledge, some of those fancy tools you Brits have, but the balance is necessary.”

“Why?” Mick asked. “Why should people have to die?” 

“Because any species needs predators,” Gabriel pointed out. “Without natural predators they expand too much and then there is mass extinction as they outgrow their resources. Think what the world would be like if rabbits had no natural predators and were allowed to breed unchecked with nothing to thin their numbers? Humans are the same. Humanity will be destroyed someday, and they will probably take this world with it, but it can be put off as long as possible.”

“But they are animals,” Mick argued. “We’re people.”

“You are still animals,” Gabriel told him. “You have souls, and self-enlightenment, and free will, but you are animals all the same. And you know something else? All those monsters you kill? They have the same. There is nothing that separates them from you on a cosmic scale. The only differences are their abilities and their diets. And their destination after death. They have their own version of heaven, where they can indulge their appetites and darker natures to their hearts content. They have just as much right to live as you do. Taking them out when they get out of line is one thing. When they threaten the balance. But exterminating them all just for existing is just as evil as exterminating humans for seeing too much is.”

Mick wanted to dispute that. He really did, but an archangel of all beings should know what they are talking about. And it did make sense in a weird kind of way. “What about demons?” he asked curiously, knowing that they were enemies of heaven. 

“Demons are different. They are abominations. They were never meant to be. Demons are human souls twisted and drained from all of their light,” Gabriel told him, not missing Mick’s gasp as he realized what that meant about the state of his own soul. “Hell must stay intact as an extension of human’s free will, but any demon who steps foot on earth is fair game.”

Before any more questions could be asked, Ketch stumbled sleepily into the room and Mick couldn’t help but goggle at the sight. Ketch never stumbled sleepily. He was on full alert the second he opened his eyes. Mick still hadn’t found words by the time the British hunter plopped down at the table and started filling a plate with the still warm food. “I’ll give you guys some time alone,” Gabriel said heading out of the room. 

“Ketch…”

“We were friends, correct?” Ketch interrupted him. 

“Yeah. We were. We ARE,” Mick said trying not to let the past tense of that statement bother him, but wanting to make it clear that he still considered that friendship alive. 

“Why do you call me by my last name then?” he asked curiously. 

“You always preferred it that way. I…well…I used to call you Art when we were kids, but then…” Mick trailed off, not really wanting to say it. 

“Then what? What did I do?” Ketch asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer, but knowing that he needed to. 

“You…well…you threatened to shoot me if I called you that again,” Mick said apologetically, finally having it hit home what kind of memories he would be getting back if he went that route. 

“I see,” Ketch said slowly. 

Mick could see how disturbed he was by that information, so he wanted to fix it. “If it helps, I don’t think you really would have. You always looked out for me, even when it wasn’t in your best interest. We always looked out for each other. I think you just said whatever you needed to, to make me stop.” He meant that too. He couldn’t count the number of times that Ketch had protected him. He didn’t think he would really have killed him. Maybe a leg shot or something to get his point across, if he would even go that far, but he never would have really hurt him. 

“How old were we?” Ketch asked. 

“You were sixteen. I was fourteen,” Mick told him. 

“And…how old am I now?” he asked despite how weird it felt to ask a question like that. 

“You are forty now,” Mick told him. 

“So, we have been friends for a long time?” he asked. 

“Over twenty-five years. I was eleven and you were thirteen when we met,” Mick told him. 

“You may call me Art, if you wish,” Ketch told him. 

Mick couldn’t help a slight smile. “Thank you…Art.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Well I should head into the office. Can’t let anyone know that something is up. I’ll be back by after I leave for the day though yeah?” Mick asked hopefully. 

“Very well.” Moments after Mick left, Gabriel returned to the kitchen and sat back down at the table. “I want to get my memory back,” Ketch told him without hesitation. His conversation with Mick, and the man’s presence so early in the morning alone, told him that there were good things there too. Things he wanted back. 

“Okay,” Gabriel agreed. “We can get started after breakfast if you want?” Ketch nodded and resumed eating. Once he was done, Gabriel motioned for him to follow. “It will be easier to do this in your room. You will be out for an hour or so for every year I restore. I figure I’ll start with five years at a time. Sound good?” he asked. 

“Yes. That’s fine,” he said with a nod. “And we will do more tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. Whenever you’re ready for more. You can take as much time as you need to come to terms with the memories before the next set,” Gabriel told him as they reached the room and the archangel motioned him to lie down on the bed. 

 

Mick arrived back at headquarters just to find Dr. Hess’ face staring at him from the big monitor. “You are late,” she said impatiently. 

“I apologize. American traffic still confounds me at times,” Mick thought fast. 

“Do NOT let it happen again,” Hess said firmly. 

“I won’t,” Mick said hanging his head in deference as she would have expected. 

“Good. Now I wish to know how the travesty at the compound was permitted to happen, what happened to Mr. Ketch, and why you do not have his body. I assume you have had time to finish your investigations since it has been more than a day since the incident?” she asked in a tone that said he damn well better have finished his investigations and have very good answers. 

“We were betrayed by one of the American hunters. He was working with the vampires and led them directly to us. Our guards were taken by surprise. We were still in briefing with Sam and Mary Winchester and they were able to contain the situation…”

“So all of our highly trained guards were useless, but two raw unrefined American hunters turned the tide?” Hess asked distastefully. 

“With all due respect, I believe the difference is a matter of experience. Our soldiers have not had to deal with vampires before save in overwhelming odds and with the necessary tools. Tools that are not carried while on premises, which will be rectified so as to ensure no further incidents. The American hunters have had no such tools and thus had more experience with dealing with overwhelming odds without them.”

“It is your job to get them that experience. You have allowed them to become lax in their duties and they are now dead because of it,” she accused. 

“I apologize,” Mick said accepting the criticism no matter how much he disagreed. 

“Now what of Mr. Ketch?”

“Jameson reported that he was caught in the first wave as he was returning late for the briefing. His body was not found,” Mick told her. 

“Then he is not dead,” she told him coldly. 

“All due respect ma’am, the report said that his throat was completely ripped out. He could not have survived that,” Mick told her. 

“I do not care. Reports can be misheard, especially in the heat of battle. Wounds can seem worse than they are. If there is no body, he is not dead, and will not be treated as such. You will find him, and should he be turned, kill him. I expect either Mr. Ketch reporting alive and well, or his body on its way to us within twenty four hours Mr. Davies. No excuses.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mick said. What else could he say. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of this one. Maybe he would have to make a run for it sooner than he wanted to. He didn’t have to hear the ‘or else’ to know that it would be his head if he failed. 

Conversation over, he called the remaining muscle in the compound since their reinforcements from Britain wouldn’t arrive until the evening. He briefed them on the search grids they would use based on the locations of the vampires and their nests, conveniently keeping them far away from Lebanon, Kansas. He sent out half of them, not including Mary who was only allowed off the premises in Ketch’s presence, not that he wanted to send her on a wild goose chase anyway. He wasn’t sure he would want to know Ketch’s fate if the hunters who were harboring him lost their mother on his orders. 

 

When Sam and Dean stumbled into the kitchen for their own breakfast a few hours later, Gabriel snapped his fingers and their preferred breakfast hit the table too. Bacon and pancakes, topped with fruit for Sam, eggs and toast, and he sat down to eat again. He absentmindedly thanked the fact that he was an archangel and thus couldn’t gain weight if he was going to be eating on two different schedules. 

Sam had been doing very well at keeping his fantasies about Gabriel at bay when the archangel was around, but then he had never been around much before now. And certainly not simply sharing a meal. When Gabriel’s lips wrapped around his fork and an obscene moan left his mouth at the taste of his chocolate chocolate chip pancakes, Sam couldn’t stop the image that came to mind of Gabriel moaning like that with something else in his mouth. 

When Gabriel got the mental image of himself on his knees for Sam his head snapped up so fast the hunters could nearly hear it and he saw Sam’s eyes go wide as he paled drastically before he got up and all but ran from the table. “I’ll be back,” Gabriel uselessly told Dean as he flew away after Sam. He caught up to him in the hallway and appeared behind him. “Sam,” he called, but the hunter ignored him and kept walking away so Gabriel just huffed and flew in front of him and blocked his way. Sam turned to head the other direction, but not before Gabriel saw the unshed tears glistening in his eyes. Gabriel reappeared in front of him again and pinned him against the wall so he couldn’t get away. 

“Just forget it, Gabriel. Please. Whatever you saw or heard or whatever…just forget it,” Sam begged. 

“And what if I don’t want to forget it?” Gabriel asked. 

“What if I don’t want to be mocked for it?” Sam shot back frustrated. 

“Just answer me one thing. Is that something you really want or just one of those stupid things that cross your mind for no apparent reason?” Gabriel needed to know the answer to that before he did anything else. 

“I…it…” Sam wanted to say there was no reason for it. He wanted to take the out Gabriel was offering him, but the words just wouldn’t come out. “It doesn’t matter,” he did manage to say though. 

“Believe me, Sam. It matters,” Gabriel said quietly. 

“Gabriel…stop…” Gabriel cut him off with a kiss, plastering himself against the hunter. His response was enough of an answer for Gabriel. For now, at least. For a moment Sam kissed him back, before he found himself roughly shoved away. “I don’t want a pity fuck either,” he snapped as he stormed off again. 

Gabriel once again appeared in front of him and pinned him against another wall, holding his hands above his head so he couldn’t try and shove Gabriel away again. “Who said anything about pity? Jesus, Sam. I died for you. I helped you kill my own brother. What more do I have to do to prove myself?” He stopped himself just before he said ‘to prove that I love you’. It didn’t come out quite as effortlessly as he had intended it to sound, but he figured that Sam would get the point. Hopefully. 

“That was to save the world. And to save yourself,” Sam said trying to convince himself of that as much as anything else. 

“You think I care enough about this world to die for it when there are so many others out there I could hang out on instead? You really think I couldn’t have found some way to get Luci and his spawn to leave me alone in peace?” he asked pointedly. 

“Then why…” Sam asked not quite sure if he could believe what Gabriel was trying to tell him. 

“Because I love you, you moron,” Gabriel said rolling his eyes. It seemed blunt and exposing was the only way to go here. When he felt Sam trying to pull out of his grip, he let go. He’d said what he needed to say. He’d made the point he needed to make, and he hoped that Sam was going to do something else. Anything else besides shove him away again and make a beeline for his room without another word. Gabriel took a deep breath and forced back his own tears, putting his mask firmly back into place before flying back to the kitchen to finish his breakfast. When he got there, he snapped his fingers and Sam’s plate reappeared in his bedroom. He at least needed to eat.


	6. Chapter 6

Gabriel was waiting with Ketch when he woke up and the first thing out of his mouth was, “I can actually remember my own birth?” 

“Well the memories are always there. You just couldn’t process them before. It’s not like I can pick and choose,” Gabriel said with an amused shrug. 

“You could have at least warned me. There are things that no man should ever have to remember,” he said with a shudder. 

“I could have yes, but where’s the fun in that?” Gabriel asked jovially, pushing his own turmoil to the back of his mind for the time being. Ketch just glared half-heartedly at him. “How are you feeling?” Gabriel asked. He’d never actually done something like this before. He’d modified memories countless time, but releasing blocked memories while stripping them of the brainwashing was a whole new thing for him. 

“Fine. It’s just…a lot to process. I have a sister. My twin. Morgan. Does she know what happened to me?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel told him, unable to look him in the eye. He knew exactly what happened to Morgan, and what that particular memory would likely do to the man sitting in front of him. He had every intention of making sure Mick was here when he woke from that memory being unlocked. This set was pretty easy. Early childhood memories. He hadn’t done anything truly criminal yet, aside from having his normal childhood violence rewarded and some slightly harsher punishments for showing empathy and compassion. “I should let you process,” Gabriel told him, and when Ketch didn’t argue with that, Gabriel left the room after snapping up some lunch for him. 

 

When Gabriel snapped up lunch for the Winchesters an hour later, he didn’t make any for himself. “I figure I can take Artie to one of my properties after his buddy stops by this evening and I let him know. I can keep working on his memory there without being in your hair,” he said evenly before he turned to leave. 

“Wait…Gabriel…don’t…don’t go,” Sam stopped him. 

“Why not, Sam? What possible reason could I have to stay?” Gabriel asked, not turning around to look at him and barely managing to keep his voice even. 

Dean raised an eyebrow and looked between his brother and the archangel. What on earth had happened between them to have Gabriel acting like a jilted lover? “I…just…stay…please,” Sam practically begged. 

“I can’t,” Gabriel said shortly as he walked out the door, still not turning back. 

Sam just looked at the door in shock until Dean snapped him out of his stupor. “I don’t know what happened there and I don’t think I want to know, but if you really don’t want him to leave, you better go talk to him, and fast.” That was all it took to have Sam up from the table like a shot. He wasn’t sure where to find Gabriel but after checking all the main rooms in the bunker, he made for the bedroom that Gabriel had claimed and knocked on the door. 

“Go away, Sam,” he heard from the other side. 

“I can’t do that,” Sam said opening the door and stepping inside as Gabriel turned to face away from him, resting his hand on the wall that was now in front of him. 

“What do you want?” Gabriel asked. 

“I want to say…I’m sorry,” Sam said nervously. 

“Don’t be. I misread the situation and took a gamble that came back to bite me in the ass. Not your fault,” Gabriel said shortly wishing Sam would just let it go. 

Sam gulped audibly as he stepped forward and put his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “You…you didn’t misread it. I just…” he trailed off. 

“You just what, Sam? Decided ripping my heart out would be a fun way to start your day?” Gabriel snapped spinning to face him. 

Any question in his mind about Gabriel’s sincerity was wiped away at the sight of the tear tracks on the archangel’s face and Sam couldn’t stop himself from pinning Gabriel against the wall this time and kissing him senseless. Gabriel melted into the kiss for a moment before he roughly shoved Sam away, the hunter hitting his ass on the floor, and said, “Damnit Sam. I’m not a fucking yo-yo!” he growled. 

“I…I know Gabriel. I’m sorry. I just can’t…I mean…you’re an archangel…and I’m just…the boy with the demon blood…Lucifer’s vessel…the one who keeps screwing everything up…How can I…how can I justify loving someone like you? Especially when it means getting you killed.”

Gabriel just blinked at him for a moment as the heartbroken words poured from the hunter’s mouth, and Sam pulled his knees up and crossed his arms over them, resting his head on top. Gabriel went to his knees in front of him and placed his hands on Sam’s elbows. “I…Sam I…I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure exactly what he was sorry for, besides the fact that Sam was hurting right now, but it seemed the right thing to say. “You’re not…you’re not JUST those things. You’re also everything you were never supposed to be. Kind and generous and caring. Everything that your entire life was engineered to take away from you. You have one of the purest and most loving souls I’ve ever seen. You rewrote destiny itself. If anything, a cowardly, runaway archangel isn’t worthy of loving YOU.”

Sam shook his head, not lifting it from where it was resting on his arms. He wasn’t buying any of that for a second. Not to mention Gabriel didn’t even address his biggest fear. “Everyone I love dies,” he said sadly. “I…I can’t…can’t let that happen to you. Not again.”

“Think of it this way, Samshine. I already died for you and now I’m back. Whatever curse you think you have has already run its course concerning me,” Gabriel tried to convince him. When Sam didn’t respond he tried logic. “Besides, now that Luci and his spawn are gone, aside from Dad and Auntie, nothing else could possibly be a threat to me. I have no intention of dying on you, Sam. I promise you that.”

Sam finally looked up, wiping the tears from his face as he did so, and Gabriel gave him a nervous smile, nudging the hunter’s knees apart and sliding between them before leaning forward and resting his forehead against Sam’s. “Gabriel…” Sam whispered longingly, and that was all the encouragement Gabriel needed to close the remaining distance between them and capture the hunter’s lips in his own. This time it was slow and sweet, rather than hard and desperate, and Sam’s arms came around Gabriel, crushing the archangel to him. When they broke for air, Sam whispered, “I love you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel grinned and said, “I love you too, moron,” and Sam huffed a little laugh at that before his stomach growled. “You should go eat your lunch,” Gabriel told him. 

“Come with me?” Sam asked hopefully as he got to his feet and held out his hand for Gabriel who took it and let himself be hauled to his feet before following Sam to the kitchen. 

“You guys good now?” Dean asked as they both sat down and Gabriel snapped up some food for himself. 

Gabriel grinned and reached over, twirling a lock of Sam’s hair around his finger as the hunter blushed at Gabriel’s antics, and the archangel said, “Sure are.”

“Good. Just…know this. I want no details. About anything. Ever. Got it?” He knew well Gabriel’s tendency to overshare which was all well and good when he was talking about some shapely blonde chick but not when talking about his brother. 

Gabriel smirked mischievously. “Not even when…”

“No.”

“Or when…”

“No. Never,” Dean said with a half-hearted glare, knowing that Gabriel was just screwing with him. Sam couldn’t hold in his laugh anymore, despite his embarrassment. He knew he was going to have to get used to both of those states of being if he was going to be with Gabriel though and he couldn’t deny that it would be more than worth it. 

Gabriel had no intention of pushing things too fast, so when they finished eating, rather than dragging Sam off to his bedroom like he was oh so tempted to do, they went to the living room and he curled up to the hunter’s side on the couch and put on a movie. 

Dean made his excuses to go out. He knew that given their living arrangements he would end up third wheeling it more often than not anyway, but decided to at least give them today. 

They didn’t get much time though before there was a knock at the door. Gabriel went to answer it, since he could just fly up there rather than having to climb the stairs. “You’re early,” Gabriel told him, trying not to be annoyed at the nice afternoon interrupted. 

“I’ve been ordered to bring in either Ketch or his body by tomorrow morning so I made off with the excuse that I was running down a lead. It seems I’m going to need a place to lie low as well,” he said apologetically as he looked to Sam. 

“No need for all that,” Gabriel said waving his hand and a perfect replica of Ketch appeared. 

“Really Gabriel? On the map table? I think we need to set some ground rules about dead bodies in the bunker,” Sam said wearily. 

“That’s not…” Mick started to ask, heart in his throat. 

“No. That’s not really him,” Gabriel said rolling his eyes. As if it wasn’t obvious. “It will appear to be him by any means of identification though.”

“So, it will stand up to DNA, fingerprints, a full autopsy, as well as identification spells?” Mick asked hopefully. 

“I’m not an amateur,” Gabriel said mock offended. 

“Could you maybe…make it so his throat is ripped out? I reported that was how he died. And maybe have him roughed up a bit?” Technically Mick could do that himself, but he didn’t think he would be able to stomach it. 

“Vamps right?” Gabriel asked, assuming that would be the cover story given recent events. Mick nodded and Gabriel snapped his fingers again and the body was all bloody and bruised and the throat was ripped out as requested. Gabriel even went the extra mile and broke one of his legs. 

“Gabriel!” Sam admonished. 

“I’ll clean it up, Sammykins. Don’t worry,” he promised. 

Before anything else could be said there was a gasp of horror from the doorway and they all spun around to see Ketch standing there staring in shock at the body on the table. Gabriel darted his eyes to Sam and back to Ketch and Sam got the hint. He stepped in the way, blocking the horrified man’s view and put an arm around his shoulder spinning him around and leaving the room. “It’s okay. They’re just faking your death,” he tried to reassure him. Not that it was particularly reassuring, but what else could he possibly say. 

“Do you think you could sent it to this address?” Mick asked turning his phone to show him the address of an old warehouse that was due to be searched around midnight. Gabriel nodded and snapped his fingers and the body disappeared and the map table was as pristine as ever and they headed in after Sam and Ketch.


	7. Chapter 7

“Let’s give them some time alone,” Gabriel said pulling Sam into the library and letting them have the living room. 

Sam chuckled as he pulled Gabriel in for a deep kiss once they were behind closed doors and Gabriel just melted in the hunter’s arms. When the urge to breathe got too strong, Sam moved his head to the side and whispered in Gabriel’s ear, “Any reason we’re in here rather than a bedroom?” 

Gabriel’s breath hitched. “I…I didn’t want to assume anything or…or push anything,” Gabriel said breathlessly. 

“I’ve been waiting ten years for you, Gabriel. I’m tired of waiting,” Sam whispered as his lips latched onto the archangel’s neck. 

Gabriel just moaned and snapped his fingers transferring them to the bedroom before he pushed Sam down on the bed and straddled his lap. “Then far be it for me to keep you waiting any longer,” he quipped as he began unbuttoning the hunter’s shirt as his lips trailed over all the newly revealed skin and he ground his hips down into Sam’s, pausing to strip his own shirt off when Sam started tugging impatiently at it. As he started unbuttoning the hunter’s pants, he looked up at him and smirked. “Let me see if I can remember how that fantasy of yours went, shall I?”

Sam felt himself blushing at that reminder, but he desperately wanted to make the fantasy a reality. Along with every other fantasy he’d ever had about the archangel. As Gabriel pressed a line of soft kisses up the underside of Sam’s length, he thought that he really wanted to see if Gabriel was anywhere near as good as he imagined him to be. “Your fantasy was pretty accurate, except for one thing,” Gabriel said as if reading his mind before he leaned down and took Sam all the way to the root pulling a choked moan from the hunter, sucking hard as he pulled back off. “I’m an angel, and we don’t have gag reflexes,” he finished waggling his eyebrows. 

“Fuck…Gabriel…please,” Sam begged for more. 

“Mmm. Fuck soon, Sammykins,” Gabriel chuckled as he took Sam back in his mouth as his hand moved down and one slick finger slid past Sam’s tight ring of muscles and Gabriel moaned around the dick in his mouth. Shit, Sam was so tight. He wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Sam was a virgin. At least where this was concerned anyway. He wanted to taste Sam just as badly as he wanted to fuck him, so he made no effort to slow himself down as he worked the hunter to the brink with his full talents, honed over millennia of practice. It didn’t take long at all for the hand in his hair to tighten and Sam to tense up as he blew his load down the archangel’s throat. 

As Gabriel sucked down every drop, he slowed his finger down to give Sam a chance to recover. “God, Gabriel. Don’t…don’t stop…please,” Sam begged. He needed to feel Gabriel inside him. Needed to feel how real this was. Needed to know that it wasn’t just some amazing dream that he was going to wake up from. 

Gabriel grinned as he started pressing open mouth kisses up Sam’s stomach and chest as he muttered, “Wasn’t planning on it, Samshine.”

As he slid a second finger into the hunter’s tight ass, he was kissing Sam deeply again and Sam’s arms held him tightly against him, limiting the movement of Gabriel’s hand, but still allowing him to scissor his fingers to stretch Sam open. After a minute of that, Sam let go, putting enough distance between them to fumble with Gabriel’s belt, before getting his pants open and shoving them down, taking the archangel’s hard cock in his hand. Gabriel gave a whimpering moan as he slid a third finger in, sooner perhaps than he should have judging by Sam’s hiss of pain, but when he stilled for a moment to give Sam a chance to adjust, the hunter just pressed himself down on his fingers impatiently, so Gabriel got them moving again. 

Once Sam was as loose as he was going to get, one of Gabriel’s hands went under Sam’s lower back to lift him up while the other guided himself to the hunter’s entrance. “You ready, Sammy?” he asked breathlessly. 

“Oh, god yes,” Sam said as his heels pressed against Gabriel’s ass trying to move him forward, but the archangel stayed resolutely still until Sam spoke and then he started slow, shallow thrusts, working his way in deeper and deeper, as Sam’s breath hitched and his moans joined with Gabriel’s. 

Once Gabriel was fully seated, he leaned over Sam, stilling both so that he could give Sam a moment to adjust and so that he wouldn’t blow too soon. “As good as your fantasies so far?” Gabriel asked as he nipped at the hunter’s neck and gave a teasing rub to his once again erect dick. 

“Better,” Sam gasped out with a whimpering moan as he tried to lift his hips for more. 

“Mmm, better huh?” Gabriel asked smugly. 

“You talk too much,” Sam breathed out as amused as he could get with the arousal taking up so much of his attention. 

“I do, do I?” Gabriel huffed a laugh. “Why don’t you shut me up then?” he challenged. 

Sam’s hand wrapped in Gabriel’s hair and he yanked his head up to attack his lips as his other hand dug it’s fingers into Gabriel’s back and the archangel moaned in the hunter’s mouth as he started moving. Gabriel felt his release coming far sooner than he wanted to, but damned if he could even think about slowing down, so his hand went down to pump Sam in time with his thrusts and he could feel the hunter rapidly coming undone too. “Oh…fuck…S-Sam!” Gabriel cried as he blew. 

“Yes…Gabe!” Sam echoed as his chest and stomach were painted in white. Gabriel stilled over him for a moment pressing another short kiss to his lips before he leaned down and started licking up everything that Sam spilled and the hunter moaned again. Damn if that wasn’t just so hot. Once Gabriel was done, he crawled back up Sam and collapsed to the hunter’s side, curling up almost catlike. Sam chuckled a bit. “I should have known you’d even be playful and sarcastic in bed.”

Gabriel laughed with him. “Are you complaining?” he asked teasingly, but still with a hint of seriousness. 

“Not a bit,” Sam said kissing Gabriel deeply again. It would take a little getting used to on his part, but it was just so…Gabriel…that he wouldn’t want him any other way. 

 

Meanwhile, back in the living room:

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Mick told Ketch. “I’m under a lot of pressure to either produce you or your body,” he explained. 

“So even if I do decide to go back, it won’t be an option anyway,” Ketch said not entirely sure how he felt about that. Not that he was in any rush to go running back to the people who used and brainwashed him, but having that choice taken away didn’t sit too well with him either. 

“Not at all. If you do decide someday to go back, we can always find a way to ‘bring you back to life’. It’s not like it’s never happened before,” Mick assured him. He didn’t think they would ever need that option, but he could sympathize with Ketch’s displeasure at having choices taken away. 

Ketch just nodded. “So I got some of my memories back today,” he said to try and make conversation and get his mind off the sight of his dead body. 

“Oh? Anything of note?” Mick asked hopefully, glad that he had decided to get them back, despite what horrors they would hold. 

“Just the first five years of my life. Including my own birth,” he said with a shudder. That made two unholy sights he’d seen today. 

“Yuck. Sorry about that mate,” Mick said sympathetically. 

“My sister though. Why hasn’t she been to see me? Is she still back in Britain? Does she know I’m alright or will she think I’m dead with everyone else?”

“Your sister…Morgan…um…I’m sorry to have to tell you this but she died. Back when you two were sixteen. I don’t know how it happened though. You never wanted to talk about it,” Mick said apologetically. 

“Oh,” was all Ketch said, as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. He absentmindedly wondered if he had ever mourned her. If he was ever allowed to. As he felt a tear stream down his cheek he lifted his hand to catch it and look curiously at it. The sensation felt so foreign and he was confused even as more tears followed the first. Mick moved over to the couch and put an arm around him and Ketch leaned into the quiet comfort offered. Neither spoke for a long time before Ketch asked, “You knew her as well?” 

“I did. She was…she was actually my first girlfriend. We were together for nearly a year when…when she died. I…I’m sorry, Art.”

“Will you…tell me about her? I mean, I know I’ll get the memories later, but I just…” he trailed off, not really sure where he was going with that statement. 

“Sure, mate. She looked a lot like you, really, but…softer of course. She had the same dark hair and green eyes. Her eyes were so much more full of life though, and when she smiled, it just lit up a room. Her laugh was so infectious. I don’t think anyone who met her didn’t fall in love with her just a little bit.” The next few hours were spent with Mick telling stories about Morgan as Ketch listened with rapt attention, and Ketch even shared some of the ones he remembered from their early years as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Gabriel moved into Sam’s room that night, and gave Ketch the option to stay where he was or move closer to Sam. He decided to stay in his current room, but asked Gabriel if he could give him the next set of memories now, before bed so that he wouldn’t be sleeping most of the day away tomorrow. Gabriel considered the matter for a moment before he agreed. “We have a choice. We can try eight years so you get a full eight hours of sleep, or we can just do five years or even less if you want again, and you’ll wake up in the middle of the night.”

“Let’s try eight years for now,” Ketch suggested. “I can always go back next time if it’s too much.”

“Fair enough. Go ahead and lay down,” Gabriel told him before placing a hand on his head and letting his grace flow through the man’s mind, unlocking the memories up to his thirteenth birthday and leaving him to sleep it off. 

Gabriel was still just lying in Sam’s arms when he felt Ketch wake up and he could immediately feel the man’s distress so he flew right into his room to find him sitting on the bed sobbing. “You okay?” Gabriel asked concerned. 

“No, I’m not okay. I…I killed people. Kids. They…they locked us in a room and made us kill each other,” Ketch choked out. “We were just kids.” Gabriel reached out a hand to his shoulder but Ketch just shrugged it off. “Leave me alone,” he snapped so Gabriel did. But not before leaving him breakfast. He could understand wanting to be alone for a while after that kind of revelation, but that was no reason for him to starve himself. 

 

Mick didn’t dare come by that morning, and had in fact, spent most of the night at the office once he got the call that they had found ‘Ketch’s body’. He had reported in as soon as it was morning in London and Hess actually seemed pleased with him for once. The fact that he seemed to have worked through the night might have had something to do with that. He caught a nap at his desk for a few hours before it was time to really be up and start his day. Without the search, he didn’t have an excuse to leave early and it was already dinnertime by the time he made it to the bunker. “You’re just in time. Why don’t you take Artie his dinner?” Gabriel said relieved to see him. 

“He doesn’t eat with you?” Mick asked wondering for the first time about what Ketch’s treatment was like here. 

“It’s not that we don’t want him to,” Sam defended himself. “He won’t come out of his room.”

“What happened?” Mick asked worriedly. 

“I unlocked some more of his memories last night. Until his thirteenth birthday. He hasn’t left his room since,” Gabriel told him. 

“I’ll go talk to him,” Mick said taking both the plates Gabriel handed him. Apparently, he was being offered dinner as well. “Thanks,” he said as he rushed off. 

Mick found Ketch pacing his room, hair sticking up on end and looking like he hadn’t slept in days. “You alright mate?” 

“How many children did they make you kill? And you still work for them?” Ketch snarled at him. 

Mick closed his eyes against the wash of guilt. “I killed one. The end of my first year at Kendrick’s. They said it was a test. I didn’t sleep for weeks afterwards and to this day I still have nightmares about it.”

“But you’re a bureaucrat. You don’t have to be a cold blooded killer. I guess they just had to test you once. Me? Apparently, I’m different. I had to kill one of my friends every single semester. Twice a year, they made me kill someone. I…I see now why you and I kept our friendship secret. If we hadn’t I would have had to kill you too. I…I can’t…they were just kids…I was just a kid…” Ketch said as he collapsed onto his bed and Mick sat next to him pulling him close and just let him cry. 

“I know, Art. We were just kids and they used us. They made us into exactly what they wanted us to be. I wish I knew how to fix it, but I don’t,” he said sadly. “I still work for them, yes, because the only way out is death, and I want to try to redeem myself before I die. I’m sorry, Art. I’m so sorry,” he said as he rocked the larger man like a baby. He managed to coax him into eating something and then got him to sleep. He’d been exhausted, and then he went to talk to Gabriel. “He ate a little bit and he’s sleeping now. He doesn’t look like he slept last night?” he half-asked. 

“I was afraid of that,” Gabriel said wearily. “When I unlock the memories, it keeps him unconscious while they process in his mind. He didn’t want to be sleeping for most of the day again so he asked me to do it at night. I had hoped the process was close enough to sleep for his body to take it that way, but it seems it wasn’t.” 

Mick nodded at the explanation. “Since he’s sleeping now, I’ll take my leave. Hopefully I’ll be able to be with him longer tomorrow night.”

Once he was gone, Sam wrapped an arm around Gabriel. “Are they gonna be okay?” he asked worriedly. 

“I wish I knew, Samshine,” Gabriel sighed and Sam leaned over and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

“I know you’re doing your best, Gabe. That’s all anyone can ask,” he assured his lover. 

“Thanks, Sammy,” Gabriel said turning in Sam’s arms and kissing him deeply until Dean cleared his throat to remind them that he was sitting there. They both rolled their eyes and disappeared back to their room. 

The next morning, Ketch did come out of his room and Gabriel met him in the kitchen with breakfast. “After breakfast I want some more of my memories,” he said firmly. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea. You should take some time and come to terms with these first,” Gabriel suggested. 

“No. I need to know,” he said. “It’s my life and my choice and I need to know.” 

Gabriel sighed. “Okay. If you’re sure that’s what you want, but I would like to make sure that my disagreement is on record here. This is a bad idea.”

“I don’t care.”

Once they finished breakfast, Gabriel followed him back to his room and unlocked the next five years of memories. Until he was eighteen. He hoped that after this set, the man would consent to slow down. Gabriel returned to Sam’s arms until the hunter woke an hour later and they spent the morning together. When he felt Ketch wake up at noon, he frowned at the man’s mental state. He went to check on him only to find a gun pointed in his face, so he left him alone. He would let Mick handle it when he got here. It seemed he was the only one who could reach the man. Gabriel still kept half an ‘eye’ on Ketch over the course of the rest of the day, growing more and more concerned with each moment. More than once he nearly picked up the phone to call Mick and tell him to get over here, but he knew that they couldn’t risk raising suspicion. 

When Mick arrived at almost six o’clock, Gabriel was already waiting impatiently at the door. “What’s wrong?” Mick asked alarmed at the look on the archangel’s face. 

“Well he’s been sitting there with his gun in his hand for the last six hours, won’t speak to anyone and the one time I tried to go in, I was greeted with a gun to my face, so I’ve been waiting for you,” Gabriel told him. 

“And you let him keep his gun?!” Mick exclaimed as he nearly ran through the halls towards Ketch’s room. 

Gabriel fingered the bullets in his pocket and wondered if he should have told Mick that he removed all the bullets, but decided it wasn’t important. The more worried he was the better chance he would have of reaching him. If he knew the gun was harmless he might not work so hard at talking him down. 

Mick forced himself to not to just barge in the door and startle him. He knocked lightly before creaking the door open. “How are you, mate?” 

“I…I killed her Mick. I…I killed my own sister,” he said with a haunted voice as his hand twitched around the gun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tissue warning. Have them handy. You will need them.   
> Also trigger warning for attempted suicide.

“You…what?” Mick asked too shocked to even move. At least until he saw the gun rising to Ketch’s head. He took two quick steps forward and his grip on Ketch’s wrist kept it from rising more than halfway. “Don’t…Art…”

“Don’t call me that!” he roared as he spun up off the bed, knocking Mick out of the way in the process. He still had a death grip on the gun, but it stayed firmly by his side, so Mick gave him his space. “That’s…that’s what she called me…that was…the last thing she said…’I love you, Art’…she said that even as I was…was slitting her throat.” He choked a sob as his empty hand held onto the wall for support and his forehead rested against it has his shoulders shook. Mick understood now. He understood why Ketch had threatened to shoot him if he called him Art again. Now that he thought about it, it was right after Morgan’s death. 

“She…she didn’t even fight back, you know?” he said quietly. “They…they told me that our loyalty had to be to the organization over any one person. Even a twin. They…they said that she was weak and that she would bring us all down. They said it was my duty. I…I had to kill her or die trying. They…they locked us in and I picked up the knife off the table. I…I tried to hand her the other one. I…I wanted to give her a chance. She wouldn’t take it. ‘You do what you have to do, Art, but I won’t fight you’ she said and then she just…she sat in the middle of the floor and just looked at me. She…she didn’t beg for her life. She didn’t…didn’t even look sad. She just…sat there…waiting. And then…then I went over and pulled her hair back and…and as I…put the knife to her throat…she…she said…’I love you, Art’. I…I didn’t stop. I didn’t even…even hesitate. I just…did the job and…and walked out like…like she was nothing.” 

Mick started to rush towards Ketch as he saw the gun raising again, but Ketch turned around, face stained with tears and shoved him away hard, and the smaller man slid across the ground before colliding with the door. Ketch finished raising the gun to his head and pulled the trigger as Mick could do nothing but watch in horror. Nothing happened. He pulled it again…and again…and again. Still nothing. Mick sent up a silent thank you to Gabriel even as Ketch threw the gun at the wall with a scream of frustration and sank to the ground himself. 

Mick crawled over to him and wrapped Ketch in his arms. Ketch pulled away though and wrapped his friend’s hands around his neck. “Kill me, Mick. Please. I…I won’t fight you. I…I swear. Please,” he begged. 

Mick closed his eyes against his own tears that were threatening to leak out, even as he gently removed his hands from Ketch’s neck and moved them to his cheeks before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “No,” he said softly but firmly, and then said the only thing he could think of that might have a chance of helping here. “Morgan wouldn’t want this for you.”

“Well we don’t know what she would have wanted, do we? She’s dead! For all we know she could want to kill me herself for revenge,” Ketch sobbed. 

This time when Mick tried to hold him, Ketch held on for dear life. “She forgave you, you know. She forgave you before you even did it. That’s why she didn’t beg. That’s why she told you she loved you. She wanted you to know that she forgave you. She knew that if you let her live, then you would both be killed. She sacrificed herself to save you. Don’t throw that sacrifice away now,” Mick said soothingly as he rocked Ketch. 

“How…how can you stand to even touch me…to…to be near me after…after what I did?” he asked brokenly. “You…you loved her too.”

“Yes. I did,” Mick told him. “Not the way I was meant to, I don’t think, but I did love her.”

“What…what do you mean?” Ketch asked. 

Mick took a deep breath. He didn’t know if now was the best time for this but he needed Ketch to know that he was loved. That there was still someone living who loved him and needed him. “I was a scared confused kid who fell in love with my best friend and I didn’t know how to deal with that, so I took the next best thing. His twin sister.”

Ketch stiffened in his arms and Mick held his breath waiting for some response. Any response. Even if it was to punch him and kick him out. “So…you’re saying…you used my sister?” He couldn’t even process the other part of that statement right now. 

“No! Not on purpose anyway. Like I said, I was confused. Besides, looking back, I’m almost certain she knew. The little knowing looks she would give me whenever you and I were together. I’d be willing to bet that’s why she went out with me in the first place. Because I didn’t fall all over her like the other boys did. Because I didn’t really want HER the way I thought I did. I was her buffer against the attention of the other boys.” He felt Ketch start to relax again. “Like I told you, I did love her. Dearly. Always will in many ways. Just not the way I should have,” he said quietly. 

“Then you should hate me for killing her,” Ketch said hauntedly. 

“She was dead the moment they decided she needed to die. YOU didn’t kill her. They did. They just used you as the weapon to do it. You never had a choice, Art. She knew that, and I know that. Remember, they brainwashed you basically from the moment you were born. They probably only waited so long to make you kill her to give you a chance to get as close to her as possible. To give you more to lose. To break any last streak of resistance you may have. They are the bad guys here. Not you. Never you,” Mick said resuming his rocking as he pressed a kiss to his friend’s head. 

“It’s my hands that were stained with her blood,” Ketch cried. “My hand that held her in place. My hand that slit her throat. I heard her gurgles as the blood drained from her body. I watched the light fade from her eyes. How…how do I live with that? How…how do I…How do I live?” he sobbed even harder as Mick refused to let go and just kept making what he hoped were reassuring shushing noises. He had no idea how to answer that question, if he could even have managed to speak around his own tears that were now falling freely. 

It was a good half hour before he had cried himself to sleep and Mick maneuvered him into the bed, with very little help from the man in question who barely woke enough to do much more than mumble during the process. Once he was sure he was good and asleep, he pulled the blanket over him, kissed his forehead again and left in search of Gabriel. He found the archangel curled up with Sam Winchester on the couch and marched over. “Why would you give him more memories now? After what the last ones did to him, didn’t you think it would be better to give him a little time first?” he asked accusingly. 

Gabriel held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I tried. I told him he should wait. Even went on record with my assurances that it was a bad idea. He insisted.”

“Yeah, and now on top of everything else he was dealing with, he has the memory of being forced to kill his own twin sister,” Mick snapped, ignoring the gasps of shock from both Winchesters. “I don’t care how much he insists, you WILL NOT unlock any more of his memories until ‘I’ say you can. Got it?” he ordered. 

“Whatever you say,” Gabriel said, glad that he had someone else to take accountability for his refusal if the situation came up. 

“And I’ll be staying here for the weekend,” he said daring anyone to disagree with him.

Dean opened his mouth to do just that, but Sam cut him off with a glare as Gabriel said, “Sure. Now why don’t you sit down and take a load off.”

Mick dropped into the other chair that Dean wasn’t sitting in with a huff. “You did something to his gun, didn’t you?” he asked now that he had gotten all that off his chest. Gabriel just smirked and reached into his pocket pulling out a handful of bullets to show him in response. “Why not just take the whole gun?”

“Because sometimes people need to reach rock bottom before they can bounce back. They need to go through the motions…to face that reality…before they can accept help,” Gabriel told him matter-of-factly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the record, in case it isn't obvious, I do NOT recommend using an unloaded gun to stop someone from committing suicide, and am not a mental health professional to recommend or discourage anything anyway. Just making sure that's out there.


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next few days, things didn’t get much better. Ketch hadn’t tried to kill himself again, not outright anyway, but the state he was in was nearly worse. He didn’t eat, didn’t speak, barely slept. Mick essentially ended up staying by his bedside the whole time as Ketch just stared blankly at the wall. The few times he did lapse into sleep, he woke with debilitating nightmares and would cry in Mick’s arms for a little while before he was back to staring at the wall. When Monday morning rolled around, Mick wished more than anything that he could just call out of work like a normal person, but one didn’t do those sorts of things in the men of letters. 

When he returned Monday evening, he realized that it probably wouldn’t have made a difference if he had stayed. Ketch barely even noticed his presence. Mick had enough and went searching for Gabriel. “You’re an archangel. Can’t you pull some strings and let him talk to Morgan? Just once?”

“It’s not that simple,” Gabriel said sadly. “Once a soul is in heaven, they are protected. They aren’t meant to deal with the trials and troubles of the living world. You can’t just intrude on a soul’s paradise.”

“Morgan wouldn’t want him to be like this. She would want to help. Doesn’t that count for anything?” Mick asked. 

“Not a whole lot, no,” Gabriel said apologetically and Mick put his head in his hands and headed back to Ketch’s room. 

“Is it possible?” Sam asked Gabriel once they were alone. 

“Not without revealing myself to heaven. The second I stepped foot up there, the command center would go haywire,” Gabriel told him. 

“I get that you’re the last archangel and all, but Cas says they have things running smoothly now. I doubt they would try to get you to come back. Hell, they might just pay you to go away,” Sam said with a chuckle. “I think you should try.”

“I’ve spent the last few millennia running away from heaven and now you want me to go back? For his sake? I mean if it were you, there would be no contest. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away, but this is Arthur Ketch. I want to help the guy, but to go that far…”

“I know you better than you think, Gabriel. If he dies and this could have saved him, you’ll never forgive yourself. Especially since you know where he’ll go if he dies now,” Sam told him gently. Gabriel was all about robbing hell of as many souls as possible, and one that he personally put on the path of redemption dying before he achieved that would eat at Gabriel forever. 

“Damnit!” Gabriel said running a hand through his hair as he started to pace. Sam was right. He knew that Sam was right, but he really really didn’t want to do this. He didn’t have a choice though. Hopefully he was right about heaven not wanting him too. “I’ll be back.”

“Should I warn them?” Sam asked. 

“No. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to pull it off so don’t get their hopes up. And even if I do, the anticipation might just make it worse,” Gabriel told him before he flew away. Back to heaven. The one place he swore he would never go again. 

He appeared directly in the control center, figuring he would end up here anyway and the fewer angels who saw him along the way the better. He was surprised to see a group of offices that looked very professional. He stepped into the one that seemed to scream ‘I’m in charge’ and stood before the desk for a few seconds before the angel behind it looked up and then gasped. “Hello Joshua,” Gabriel said with a small smile. 

“Gabriel. We thought you were dead,” he said with a frown. 

“I meant for everyone to think that,” Gabriel said. 

“You are back to take the throne now that you are the last,” Joshua guessed. 

“No. I’m not. I don’t want to rule. I understand you’re keeping things together just fine,” Gabriel assured him. 

“Then why are you here, Gabriel?” Joshua asked impatiently, glancing pointedly down at the stack of work on his desk. 

“I need a personal favor,” Gabriel told him. Technically he could have just come in here and done it anyway and then dealt with the fallout later, but when it came to some things he was an avid believer of the phrase ‘you catch more flies with honey’. “There is a soul that I need to take on a bit of a vacation.”

“You know that’s not permitted,” Joshua told him. 

“I know that you’re the big man. You make the rules, and you can bend this one, just this once.”

“Who is it and what is so important that you need this soul and for how long?” Joshua asked. He had every intention of still saying no, but he wouldn’t just dismiss the last archangel without even hearing him out. 

“Morgan Ketch. Her brother is in pretty bad shape…”

“Arthur Ketch? You wish to pull a soul at rest from her paradise to help a hell-bound soul?” Joshua asked incredulously. 

“He doesn’t have to be hell-bound. If you know that much then you must know that he has been brainwashed and programmed since even before his birth. He has finally, due to a fortuitous set of circumstances that I might suspect that father himself had a hand in if I thought he was still around, thrown off that programming and now the full weight of his sins is crashing down on him. Being brainwashed to kill his sister is weighing so heavily on him that I fear we will lose him to his grief before his soul can be redeemed,” Gabriel reasoned. 

Joshua sighed heavily. Gabriel was just pushing all of his buttons. He knew how much damage Naomi had done with her brainwashing. Add in the prospect of redeeming a soul long thought lost to them, and the mention of their father possibly being involved, even if it was unlikely to actually be the case, and Joshua was having a hard time saying no. He finally justified it to himself by considering the fact that Gabriel was an archangel. If he said no, there was nothing stopping Gabriel from taking over heaven himself and then doing what he wanted anyway. While part of him wouldn’t mind that, this job was certainly stressful…heaven was finally getting back on track and another upheaval would surely be the last straw. “I can give you half an hour, and only if she agrees,” he relented. 

“Just so we’re clear, a half hour from the time we leave heaven, correct?” Gabriel asked.

“Correct.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” Gabriel said sincerely. 

“Gabriel…” Joshua called before he left and Gabriel turned back to look at him again. “May I call on you from time to time?” Just because he didn’t want heaven to go through the upheaval of a change in leadership didn’t mean that he wouldn’t welcome the chance to go to one of the archangels for advice sometimes. Even if it needed to be in secret. 

“As long as no one else knows about me,” Gabriel said with a nod, realizing that to say no after the favor Joshua was doing him would be in bad form. Besides, he was a good egg. One of the few actually. Joshua nodded back gratefully and Gabriel flew off to Morgan Ketch’s heaven. 

Gabriel stepped up to the idyllic looking house and glanced in the window to see the soul in question playing a board game with a young man that he knew was Arthur Ketch, as he appeared back then. He let out a soft smile. He was now more sure than ever that she would gladly help as he knocked on the door. She opened it and looked at him surprised. “Hello Morgan. I’m Gabriel.”

“Hi Gabriel. I’ve never had an angel come to visit before,” she said curiously. 

“This is a special circumstance. I need your help. Or more accurately, your brother needs your help,” he told her and when she turned to look back into the house, he added, “Not that one. The real one. The one who lived.”

She gulped and nodded opening the door to invite him in. The Arthur Ketch that her mind created did whatever it was these creations do when their creators aren’t paying them any attention, and she and the archangel sat on the couch and she asked, “What happened? How is he? What do you need from me?” 

“He was in an accident and lost his memory. The accident also stripped him of his brainwashing though and as he’s getting his memories back, the guilt is tearing him apart. Especially the guilt over you. I was hoping…maybe you could come and talk to him? Give him some closure and help him to let go?” 

“Absolutely,” she said determinedly. “When do we leave?” 

“Now, if you’re agreeable?” Gabriel asked and she nodded as she got to her feet. “You should know, he isn’t in very good shape right now, so try not to be too alarmed.”

“Thank you, Gabriel,” she said sincerely and he knew that she meant for more than just the warning.


	11. Chapter 11

Gabriel told her about the time limit before they left and they reappeared directly in Ketch’s room. Mick’s eyes went wide when they appeared and Morgan gave him a grateful look before turning her attention to her nearly catatonic brother. “Oh, Art. What have you done to yourself?” she said sadly kneeling in front of him and running a hand through his hair. 

“M-Morgan! You…you can’t be here…you’re…dead!” Ketch said starting to back away. 

“Gabriel arranged for me to make a short visit, so I could talk to you,” she told him gently and then she had an armful of crying brother. “Shh. It’s okay, Artie. I don’t blame you, you know? You really shouldn’t blame yourself.”

“But I killed you,” he said brokenly. 

“No. You were a tool. A weapon. My fate was sealed the moment they realized we were twins. The entire reason for my existence from then on was to break you at the right moment. Don’t let them win, Art.”

“They did win. I…I became…everything they wanted me to be.”

“No. They didn’t. You didn’t have a choice then. They were too deep in your head. Now though…now you have a choice. Make the most of it, Artie. Live. Be happy. Be free. For me,” she begged him. He nodded against her shoulder, and she added, “And please try to join me in heaven? I mean, the fantasy you that lives there with me is nice and all, but he’s just not the same. I want the real you someday. But only after a long and happy life. Okay?” 

“I…I’ll try,” he promised. 

“Good,” she said with a smile before turning to Mick. “Thank you for looking out for him Mickey,” she said gratefully. 

“Always,” Mick told her, tears glistening in his own eyes. 

“Give us a minute?” she asked him and he nodded and left the room. Gabriel couldn’t leave since he was keeping her soul anchored, but she didn’t care if he heard what she was going to say next. “Mick really loves you, you know? He can help you through all this, and more, if you let him.”

“So…he was right…you knew…”

Morgan laughed and Ketch couldn’t help but smile at the ethereal sound that he’d missed for so long. “Of course, I knew. I saw the way he looked at you. I was getting too much unwanted attention from the other boys so he made a good shield, and I knew that for the time being, I was the closest he would get to who he truly wanted. It was wrong of me, and I feel badly now for using him like that, but at the time it seemed the thing to do. You’ll tell him that I’m sorry, won’t you?” She knew that she could tell Mick that herself, but she wasn’t sure if she would run out of time before she got a chance, and maybe talking about it would give them a little push in the right direction. 

“I will,” Ketch told her. “He doesn’t mind though.” He wanted to give her the same peace that she had started to give him. He wanted her to know that she was forgiven for all of her mistakes too. 

“I know,” she said with a smile. “But that doesn’t mean it was right. Don’t let his past with me stop you from being happy now, Art. Please. I feel badly enough about using him back then. Don’t make my mistake steal both of your happiness now.”

“I…I can’t promise what will happen with us, but I will promise you that your past won’t make a difference,” Ketch offered the best he could given the circumstances. 

“That’s all I can ask,” she said softly pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Can you ask Mick to come back in?” she asked Gabriel who stuck his head out the door and did as she asked. Morgan walked over and gave him a warm hug before whispering in his ear, “Be patient with him?” 

“I will,” Mick said holding her tightly for a moment before she let him go and went back to her brother. 

She curled up to his side in a very familiar configuration for them, but she also reached out a hand to Mick. Now that all the big stuff was out of the way, she took a good long look at them before teasing, “Wow, you two got old.” Mick and Ketch both laughed at that. Ketch’s laugh was a little more strained than Mick’s carefree one, but it was still there and Mick knew then that Ketch would be okay. Eventually. Morgan apparently knew the same because her smile grew even brighter. 

Gabriel caught her eye and pointed to his wrist and held up five fingers. “It’s almost time for me to go,” she told them. 

“No. Please. You just got here,” Ketch said looking at her desperately. 

“I know, but I can’t stay. I’m not supposed to be here at all, but Gabriel was able to bend the rules a bit. I just can’t be away for long. I have to go home, Art. I’ll have the place all ready for you when you get there many years from now though.”

“I…I’m sorry Morgan. I…I love you,” he said for the first time. Even as kids, as close as they were, he had never actually come out and said that. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I love you too, Art. Always. I’ll miss you,” she said retrieving her hand from Mick to wrap both of her arms around him and press a loving kiss to his temple. 

“I’ll…I’ll miss you too,” he whispered. 

“Remember. Live. Be happy. Be free,” she said even as Gabriel released his hold on her soul and she faded away and Gabriel silently left the room. 

It wasn’t until Gabriel and Morgan were gone that Mick started to wonder if it had just been an illusion. Like the body of Ketch that Gabriel had made. He quickly put the thought out of his mind. If it was, he didn’t want to know. It had looked like her, sounded like her, and said everything that she would have said. Everything Ketch…and himself…had needed to hear. That was all that really mattered. He noticed that Gabriel had left two plates of food when he left, and he decided that if he was ever going to get Ketch to eat it would be now. “Come on, mate. Eat something,” he prodded gently as he slid the plate towards his friend, only to grin brightly as Ketch started eating. It was mechanical and he wasn’t paying much attention to what he was doing, but he was getting food in him. Once he had eaten his fill, and drank as much water as Mick could coax into him, Mick laid him down and covered him up. “You should get some sleep.”

“So, should you,” Ketch said raising an eyebrow at the dark circles under Mick’s eyes that were nearly as bad as his own. 

“I will. Once I’m sure you are,” Mick told him firmly. It didn’t take long before they were both snoring away though, Mick having passed out in the chair again, not entirely on purpose, though whether or not he would have gone to bed if he’d had the chance was up for debate. 

 

Gabriel reappeared directly in Joshua’s office. “She has been returned, safe and sound. Thank you again, Joshua.”

“You are welcome, Gabriel. I don’t believe I said it before but I am glad to see that you are alive, and despite abandoning us, you haven’t abandoned our mission,” Joshua said earnestly. 

Gabriel fought the urge to wince. That was one of the things he both loved and hated about Joshua. He told it like it was and didn’t pull any punches. Gabriel HAD abandoned them, but that didn’t mean that he liked hearing it put so bluntly. He’d had his reasons and they were valid. He had no intention of arguing them though, so he let the comment drop. “Her leaving didn’t cause you any trouble, did it?” 

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. If you had been late though, it would have been a different story. I assured them that I had the situation under control and convinced them to wait before they mobilized,” Joshua told him. “Now that she is returned all is well.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it,” Gabriel said. “I’ll leave you to your work now.”

 

When he got back to the bunker, he found Sam waiting for him. “Did you manage it?” he asked. 

“Yeah. I talked to Joshua…he’s the new big man up there…and he gave me half an hour with her. I just returned her back to heaven.”

“Joshua’s in charge now? Good. He’s one of the few angels I liked,” Sam told him. 

“You met Joshua? When?” Gabriel asked. He was under the impression that the seraph had never left heaven. 

“A couple hunters killed Dean and I in revenge for starting the apocalypse and we went to heaven and found Joshua. He gave us a message for Cas,” Sam told him. 

Gabriel huffed a laugh. “I suppose this world isn’t the only one that’s small.” 

Sam grinned and pulled Gabriel close, pressing a kiss to his temple. “You’re a good man, Gabriel,” he told him, as he had meant to before he’d been distracted by the mention of Joshua. 

“I try,” Gabriel said contentedly curling up to his hunter’s side, unable to deny the warmth that spread through him at the fact that Sam thought that.


	12. Chapter 12

Ketch woke in the middle of the night and saw Mick sleeping in the chair next to him and rolled his eyes. He pulled himself out of bed and lifted the smaller man, carrying him to the room next door and putting him into bed before returning to his own bed. He didn’t hear Mick come in to check on him a few hours later before he left for the office, and by the time he headed for breakfast he had decided that he wanted some more of his memories and brought the subject up to Gabriel. 

“Nope. Sorry bucko. No can do,” Gabriel told him cheerfully. 

“Why not?” he asked annoyed. 

“Because Mick told me not to until he decided you were ready.” Let it not be said that Gabriel hesitated to pass the buck. 

“And why should it be his choice? It’s my life,” Ketch argued. 

“It stopped being your choice the moment you put that gun to your head,” Gabriel told him matter-of-factly.

Ketch grumbled a bit at that, but he couldn’t honestly argue with it, so he just let it go. For now. He would take it up with Mick when he got back. He retreated back to his room once he was done eating. He still had a lot to think about and come to terms with. Not that he would ever admit that Gabriel was right, of course. 

It ended up being another week before Mick gave the okay for him to get more of his memories, and in that time, the two men had gotten closer than they had ever been before. Sure, they had been best friends, but when one of those friends has no feelings and the other didn’t dare to show his own, that wasn’t saying much. Now though, Ketch was free to explore emotions for the first time, and he couldn’t say that he was against something happening between he and Mick. He did want to get the rest of his memories back first though. Who knew if there was something there that would change his mind or make it up?

It was just after he got his next set of memories, until he was twenty five, that Mick came in looking very flustered. “We have a problem,” he told Gabriel, Sam, and Dean. He had almost gotten used to seeing Sam and Gabriel curled up on the couch together, as weird as it was to think of an archangel with a human, so he didn’t bat an eye at the sight. 

“What problem?” Gabriel asked as Ketch came into the room, eyes asking the same question. 

“Dr. Hess is here,” he said. 

Dean jumped to his feet, reaching for his gun. “Here at the bunker?” he asked alarmed. 

At the same time, Sam asked, “Who’s Dr. Hess?” 

And Ketch said, “I thought she never left London?”

“Here, as in here in Kansas. She’s the deputy head of the council and the headmistress of Kendrick’s Academy. This is the first time she has left London to my knowledge,” Mick tried to answer all of the questions. 

“Which means nothing good,” Gabriel said thoughtfully. 

“Which means she suspects something and could be tracking me even now,” he told them. 

“And you came here?” Dean asked incredulously. 

“She already knows where this place is…and that you two live here. It’s not like I’m giving up any secrets,” Mick said defensively. 

“Except for the one that you are in contact with us,” Gabriel told him. 

“She knows that too. Mostly. Part of my orders are to get the Winchesters on board with the program. I won’t be able to stay long though without being suspicious if she is tracking me. Big question is, if I have to make a run for it, am I welcome here?” he asked. He wouldn’t exactly be hidden, but being close to an archangel was the next best thing, and he would bet his last dollar that if anything came in here threatening Sam or Dean Winchester, it would be the last mistake it made. 

Gabriel looked to Sam and Dean. If it were up to him, he would say yes, but it was their home. Taking in a temporary guest without their permission was one thing but if this was going to become semi-permanent it was their decision. The brothers had a long conversation consisting solely of facial expressions and body language before Dean threw his hands up in the air and Sam said, “Sure. On one condition. You get our mother out of there with you. Consider her your ticket in.”

“Understood. I was planning on it anyway,” Mick told him before he and Ketch disappeared back to Ketch’s room so they could talk over the memories he had gotten for as long as they could before he had to leave. 

It was the very next day, that Mick turned back up, with Mary Winchester in tow and she looked worse for the wear. “What the hell, Mick?” Dean asked rushing to his mother who was barely on her feet. 

“When I got in this morning, I found out that she had been locked up to begin brainwashing. I wasn’t exactly under suspicion yet, but I figured that getting her out of there before too much damage was done was worth blowing my cover for,” Mick told them. “I had to wait until the end of the day or it would have drawn too much attention and we never would have gotten out.”

“You call this not too much damage?!” Dean asked, already bellowing for Gabriel, not realizing that he was already walking in the room. 

“Mick is right,” Gabriel told him. “She is relatively beaten up physically,” he reached out a hand to heal her, “or was, at any rate, but her mind is still her own. There was very little progress made in that regard. 

“Who…what…” she asked looking around as she recognized the bunker. 

“You’re okay, Mom. You’re safe now,” Sam told her moving to her other side opposite Dean. “This is Gabriel. He healed you up, and you know Mick and Ketch.”

“Ketch…but he’s…”

“Thrown off his brainwashing and in hiding here, as are you and Mick now,” Gabriel finished for her. 

“I…I think I need to sit,” she said woozily, and both her boys supported her on the way to the couch. 

Ketch held Mick and Gabriel back. “I need the rest of my memories. Sooner rather than later.”

“I don’t know…” Mick started to say. 

“I know what you’re going to say, but honestly, what could be worse than what I’ve already seen? If we are going to have any chance of living free, we will have to take the fight to them and I need my memories to do that. They aren’t going to take this lying down, Mick. I have enough back to know that.”

“He might have a point,” Gabriel said reluctantly. 

“Fine. But you go off the deep end again, and we will be stopping again,” Mick acquiesced. 

“Agreed,” Gabriel added, and Ketch nodded. 

“We already know that doing them at night doesn’t work, so I’ll get you the next set first thing in the morning. You only have fifteen years left so we can do it by five years over three days or I can do seven and eight and get done in two days,” Gabriel suggested. 

“Let’s go with the two days option. Who knows how much time we’ll have,” Ketch told him. 

The next few days were pretty rough. Ketch was right that nothing else he had done was worse than killing his own sister, but that didn’t mean it was easy on him. He had a lot of guilt to work through and not much time to do it in. Now that Mick was there full time though, it was easier, since he could spend as much time as necessary talking Ketch through it and trying to make him see that it really wasn’t his fault. They often took meals in Ketch’s room, Ketch not being much up to other company. Plus, once he got the last set of memories, ending at the warehouse when he got ambushed by a lone vampire, he couldn’t quite look Mary in the eye. Not after the way he’d tried to drive a wedge between her and her sons. 

After a few days he had his head on as straight as he could get it, and he and Mick started working on a plan to take down the men of letters, or take it over. Whichever seemed easiest in the end.


	13. Chapter 13

Between Ketch’s knowledge of their tactical operations and Mick’s knowledge of their bureaucratic operations they had a good shot at this. Not to mention, most if not all of the soldiers and hunters held a great deal of loyalty to Ketch. Once they knew he was alive and what they’d done to him…It would be easy to pull the rug out from under them. Ketch knew that they didn’t brainwash everyone. Just the heads of the units and he hated that they would likely need to be killed in any assault, but they all agreed that the majority of the muscle and the science and research teams wouldn’t be an issue. The soldiers and hunters were just following orders, and the scientists and researchers just wanted to play with their toys and spells. It was just the leadership that would have to be taken out. 

After some discussion, along with all three Winchester’s and Gabriel, it was decided that it would have to be a coordinated assault. Mick and Ketch made lists of who would need to be taken out, which included the entire council, about half of the teachers at Kendrick’s, Toni Bevell, and about fourteen other high up people in the organization. They passed the list to Gabriel to see if he had any thoughts since he had let slip back at the beginning that he had kept eyes on them. Gabriel suggested one more name to add to the list. One of the teachers at Kendrick’s who liked the first-year girls a little too much. It wasn’t exactly the point of the exercise, but while they were at it…

Everything decided from their end, Ketch sent a coded message to one of the soldiers here in America. He wasn’t a team leader so wouldn’t be compromised, but was second in command so still held quite a bit of sway. With communications being monitored it wasn’t like he could just pick up the phone and explain. He was going to meet the guy in a nearby warehouse the next day. Once he’d arrived, Ketch explained everything to the now quite horrified soldier. Killing people, even innocent people wasn’t really anything new for them. The brainwashing though…that was what scared him the most. He agreed to spread the word here in America. There was far less muscle here, but there were also far fewer targets so it would work out. 

That settled, Ketch hitched a ride from Gabriel to do the same with one of his people in London, and the scene repeated itself. The soldier was on his side and agreed to spread the word, discretely, among the other soldiers and hunters. This one took a little more conversation though since there were so many more targets, and they were more spread out. He handed over the hit list and took some time to plan everything out with the soldier. They would give it a week for the soldiers to get others on board, and then they would go on Ketch’s signal. He didn’t like having to wait that long but if they were going to spread the word without being noticed, it couldn’t be rushed. 

Sam and Dean considered sitting this one out, figuring it was an internal matter, but Mary wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted revenge after what they did to her. What they had planned for her. She wasn’t going to take that lying down, and once she put it that way, neither were Sam and Dean. Gabriel just rolled his eyes and promised to be on healing and protection duty, but only for the five of them. Playing some tricks on some jerks was one thing, but participating in a full on assault against a human organization was a whole different story. He wasn’t about to risk letting his family get hurt though. And he’d already put so much time and effort into Mick and Ketch that he didn’t particularly want it to be all for nothing with them either. Everyone else was on their own though. 

It was nearly midnight a week later when they set out, and once they were in position, Ketch sent a one word text message to the phones of the two men he talked to. It would be their jobs to mobilize their people. Once the message was sent, the group of six, including Gabriel, snuck up to the gate and Ketch’s handprint opened the door. Mary and Mick had been taken out but they had been banking on the fact that no one thought to kill Ketch’s access since he was supposed to be dead. Gabriel made himself invisible and followed closely. 

For this particular location, the soldiers were to round up the non-combatants, and neutralize the other soldiers that stood against them. Ketch, Mick, Sam, Dean, Mary, and Gabriel would take care of Hess, Toni, and the other two targets in this building. As expected, the halls were clear when they stepped in. Until Toni was caught coming out of her room in a rush having heard the alarms going off. Ketch didn’t hesitate to put a bullet between her eyes. He knew he was going to be a mess after all this. That was the first person he had ever killed of his own free will, but he remembered everything she did to him. Everything she’d had a hand in. She was the lead brainwasher on the team and while she was too young to have done his initial brainwashing, she certainly helped keep it up, as well as brainwashing anyone else who needed it, including any soldiers who reached team leader level or higher. 

Sam noticed his hands shaking after that though and with a tilt of his head pointed it out to the others. Mick wasn’t a fighter really. He had a gun and knew how to use it and wouldn’t hesitate to defend himself, but he didn’t actually want to kill anyone. With Ketch’s current difficulties, Mary, Sam, and Dean quickly decided between them to take out the others themselves. 

The other three were found holed up in the office while Hess was frantically making calls looking for support and extraction since their own soldiers turned on them. No one was answering though. They were all rather busy themselves. The three Winchesters had bullets in their heads before Ketch stopped hesitating enough to raise his gun. That done, they made their way to the conference room to get the reports from the soldiers. “Report!” Ketch snapped as he entered the room, irritated with his own weakness. 

“Four casualties on our side. The four team leaders. All science and research personell are locked down in their quarters,” Ketch’s man reported. 

“Good work. Dismissed,” he said and the room cleared except for the group he came with. 

Mick grinned and stepped up behind Ketch. “We did it, Art,” he said as he put a hand on his friend’s shoulder only to be surprised when Ketch spun around and pinned him against the wall, crashing his mouth to Mick’s. Mick grinned into the kiss and wrapped his hands in Ketch’s jacket pulling him as close as he could as he kissed him back fervently. Mary looked away uncomfortably, while Dean rolled his eyes, and Gabriel laughed as Sam buried his face in the archangel’s neck trying not to do so himself. Mary was the only one who was surprised at all, and even she wasn’t nearly as surprised as she would have been before spending a week and a half watching those two dance around each other. 

Just as Dean was getting ready to clear his throat before they forgot about their audience, the big screen started beeping, and Mick groaned as Ketch pulled away with a frustrated growl, before using his hands to fix his hair and turning to the screen and pressing the answer button. “Sir, Kendrick’s is secured,” the face on the other end reported. 

“Casualties?” Ketch asked. 

“Two of our men were taken out by the combat instructor. All targets on the list were neutralized. There were some minor injuries among students and remaining staff in the panic, but all are being treated as we speak.”

“Excellent,” Ketch said as another call was coming through. He conferenced them in, splitting the screen to receive the next report. 

“The council are eliminated. All additional staff have been sent home. We’ve taken some moderate spell damage, but those with more than minor wounds are already on their way to the main compound for healing.”

Ketch nodded. “Good work. Both of you,” he told them. They were just waiting for one more report now. The one from the main compound. He expected that fight to go much like it had here except that the compound was much larger, and much better staffed. “Both of you leave a small team in your current locations and make your way back to the main compound and be ready to assist if needed.”

“Understood,” they said in unison, signing off with a salute. 

Ketch turned to Mick and asked with a smirk, “So what now, Boss?” 

“Wait…what?” Mick asked goggling at him. 

“We talked about the possibility of taking over,” Ketch pointed out. “I’m no bureaucrat, but you are. You can make this organization something great again. The men are loyal to me, and I’m loyal to you so you have the support. I’m sure you can win over the scientists and researchers no problem. You tell me where you need me and I’ll go.”

Mick considered the matter for a moment. He should have known that it would come to this. He had been too focused on this part to really consider what came next. He supposed he would have to take over, and that included taking over the school since their headmistress was now dead. Ketch was right in that he wasn’t really built for it. Mick didn’t know about putting Ketch back in the field though. Not after everything. He suddenly got a perfect idea and smirked back at Ketch. “Well I seem to be in need of a new combat instructor at Kendrick’s. You know anyone for the job?” 

Ketch grinned and pulled Mick in for another kiss, but just as he deepened it, another call came in. Ketch gave an annoyed growl, ignoring the laughter in the rest of the room, as he spun for the screen and answered it. “Sir, the compound is ours.”

“Casualties?” Ketch asked again, hopefully for the last time. 

“We lost eight of our own. Three security and five hunters. There were also two of the non-combatants killed in the crossfire before we could get them locked down. All targets have been eliminated.”

“Good work. Hold the building until we return. Mick Davies will now be in charge,” Ketch told him. 

Now that everything was settled, Mick turned to the Winchesters and pulled a disk off the desk. “Here. Backups of all of our computer programs and all American intelligence. We’ll leave the contents of the armory for you to do with as you will, but it seems we are going to be working on rebuilding and restructuring for a while. If you need anything though, you know how to contact me,” he told them. 

“Thanks Mick. Good luck,” Sam told him, shaking his hand, and then Ketch’s. 

Dean followed suit, but Mary hugged them both as Mick turned to Gabriel. “I hope to turn us back into an organization you can be proud of, but please feel free to point out the error of my ways if I’m doing anything wrong,” Mick said hopefully. He really wanted to redeem himself in the eyes of heaven. He didn’t much like the idea of spending eternity in hell, and especially not of becoming a demon eventually. 

“I can do that,” Gabriel offered with a mischievous smirk. Lessons were his specialty after all, though having permission from his victims…err pupils…was a new one.


End file.
